Pinwheel support



Jan- 18, 1966 s. GOLUB ET AL 3,229,412

PINWHEEL SUPPQRT Filed Aug. v, 196s INVENTORS l PMS S/DNEY GOLUB ,AH 'BY Joseph' BOLOGNA United States Patent O 3,229,412 PINWHEEL SUPPORT Sidney Golub, 439 Dogwood Ave., West Hempstead, Long Island, N .Y.; Joseph H. Bologna, 131 W. Poplar St., Floral Park, Long Island, N.Y.; Bernard Zefman, 1630 Grand Ave., Bronx, N .Y.; and Max Roseman, 2 Walnut Court, Plainview, Long Island, N.Y.

Filed Aug. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 300,466 4 Claims. (Cl. 46-53) This invention relates to a pinwheel support and is directed particularly to means for retaining a pinwheel on the support.

An object of the invention is to provide a single piece shaft for supporting a pinwheel and including means for retaining the pinwheel on the shaft.

Another object of the invention is to provide means on the end of the pinwheel support which passes and retains the vanes on the support.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pinwheel support that is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to mount the vanes of the pinwheel thereon.

Other and further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, in which FIG. l is a perspective view of the support mounted on a rod;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tip of the supporting shaft;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the support;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the support;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 6 6 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings, the mounting 10 has a cap 11 for fitting the mounting on the end of a stick or rod 12, and a shaft 13 for rotatably supporting the pinwheel 14 indicated by dot and dash lines in FIGS. 3 and 4. The shaft and cap are made of a single piece of molded material. The shaft is cylindrical in shape and has a tip 15. The tip 15 comprises an axial portion 16 having a rectangular or square cross section, a rounded or spherical end piece 17 and two barbs 18 and 19. The axial portion 16 with the rectangular or square shaped cross section has a top surface 20, side surfaces 21, 22 and a bottom surface 23. The width A of the axial portion is substantially equal to the diameter of the shaft 13 and the thickness B is less than the diameter of the shaft to form notches 24 and 25. The round or semi-spherical end 17 has a diameter approximately equal to the shaft 13. The barbs 18, 19 are curved and have upper and lower surfaces 26, 27 and 28, 29, respectively, and side surfaces 30, 31 and 32, 33, respectively. The barbs have a thickness C which is equal to about one-half of the diameter of the shaft 13 or the width of the axial portion 16. The barbs are formed in a single piece with the axial portion 16 and curve outwardly to present the surfaces 31 and 33 for engagement by the pinwheel, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The barbs are resiliently bendable inwardly and outwardly to flex on the passage of the pinwheel onto the shaft and return to the given position to retain the pinwheel on the shaft.

The pinwheel 14 is indicated by dot and dash lines in FIGS. 3 and 4 and is formed into four vanes from a single sheet of plastic material. The corners of the vanes overlap at the front and are fastened together by a brass eyelet 36 forming an opening 14a and having inner and outer fianges 36a, 36h. The opening 14a in the eyelet and the rear opening 14b are larger than the spherical tip 17 and smaller than the barbs 18 and 19. The fiexible ends of the barbs are depressed as they pass through the open- Patented Jan. 18, 1966 ice ings 14a, 14b and return to the original position with the surfaces 31 and 33 overlapping and engaging flanges 36h of eyelet 36 on the pinwheel. At the other end of the shaft 13 an enlarged portion 34 acts as a retaining member and a separator to hold the pinwheel away from the cap 11. The rounded end 17 serves to guide the pinwheel onto the shaft.

As illustrated, the barbs are tapered towards the end and are attached to the shaft at the reduced cross section portion and extend out of the recess to project beyond the shaft 13. The barbs have base portions which are firmly and integrally attached to the tip 15 over a substantial longitudinal distance and have a substantial lateral cross section as illustrated in FIG. 6. This provides a substantial rectangular cross-sectional area from which the tapered portions of the barbs extend so that the tapered ends do not fracture on the mounting of the pinwheel. The pinwheel, which may be formed in a conventional fashion from a sheet of paper or plastic material, presses against the rearwardly facing surfaces 31 and 33. A force tending to push the pinwheel off the shaft causes the barbs to resiliently oppose the force and to move further outwardly. This the barbs provide a firm opposition to the removal of the pinwheel while permitting a relatively easy placement of the pinwheel on the shaft by flexing inwardly.

It is seen from the foregoing description that the shaft and tip may be made in a single molding step as a single piece and provide a simple means for fitting the pinwheel on the shaft, and when the pinwheel is in place interlocking the pinwheel thereon. This simplifies the manufacture of pinwheels mounted on a support and reduces the cost over present methods.

The shaft 13 may be mounted on other means than the cap 11 or the stick 12 for supporting the pinwheel. It is, of course, understood that other types of supports for the shaft may be used.

Although the specific embodiment has been described and illustrated in connection with a pinwheel, other types of rotatable devices may be mounted on the shaft.

The invention is set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A single piece pinwheel support of molded material comprising a cylindrical shaft for rotatably supporting a pinwheel, a rectangular-shaped portion extending axially from the shaft having a width less than the diameter of the shaft, a generally spherical shaft end portion on the end of said rectangular portion opposite to said shaft and having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of said shaft, barbs having base portions firmly and integrally attached to said spherical portion and to said rectangular-shaped portion longitudinally along the outward part thereof from the inner end of said spherical portion and having flexible tip portions extending longitudinally from said base portions and yieldably flaring outwardly a distance greater than the radius of said shaft for passing an apertured pinwheel over said barbs and said shaft and returning to the original position for retaining the pinwheel thereon.

2. A single piece pinwheel support of molded material comprising a shaft for rotatably supporting a pinwheel and having a tip portion for passing a pinwheel onto the shaft, said tip portion having a reduced lateral cross section forming recesses in said shaft, barbs formed as a single piece with said shaft and located in said recesses, said barbs having base portions in said recesses firmly and integrally attached longitudinally along a substantial portion of said tip portion and having ends extending outwardly a greater distance from the axis of said shaft than the corresponding lateral dimension of said shaft to project beyond said shaft, said ends being resilient to flex inward on passage of a pinwheel thereover and flexing outward to hold the pinwheel on said shaft.

3. A single piece pinwheel support of molded material comprising a shaft for rotatably supporting a pinwheel, a tip portion extending from and axially aligned with said shaft, base portions rmly and integrally attached in rigid relation with and longitudinally along said tip portion and having a substantial cross-sectional area to form firm supports for flexible barbs, ilexible barbs mounted on respective base portions at the shaft end thereof and extending longitudinally in the direction of said shaft and outwardly to a distance from the axis of said shaft greater than the corresponding lateral dimension of said shaft to flex inwardly on passage of a pinwheel over the barbs and outwardly after said passage and having rearwardly facing ends for engagement by the pinwheel to loosely hold the pinwheel in rotatable relation on said shaft.

4. A single piece pinwheel support of molded material comprising a cylindrical shaft for rotatably supporting a pinwheel, a tip extending from and axially aligned with said shaft having a generally spherical portion axially positioned at the opposite end of said tip from said shaft, base portions firmly and integrally attached in rigid relation with said spherical portion and said tip between said spherical portion and said shaft and having substantial lateral cross sections to form rm supports for ilexible barbs, flexible barbs mounted on respective base portions at the shaft end thereof and extending longitudinally in the direction of said shaft and outwardly to a distance from the axis of said shaft greater than the corresponding lateral dimension of said shaft and a gradual taper of said barbs towards the ends thereof for flexure inwardly on passage of a pinwheel over the barbs and outwardly after said passage to loosely hold the pinwheel in rotatable relation on said shaft.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 903,879 11/1908 Nusley 46-58 2,560,530 7/71951 Burdick 85-80 X 2,679,711 6/1954 Learnard 46-53 FOREIGN PATENTS lO/l960 France.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

3. A SINGLE PIECE PINWHEEL SUPPORT OF MOLDED MATERIAL COMPRISING A SHAFT FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING A PINWHEEL, A TIP PORTION EXTENDING FORM AND AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID SHAFT, BASE PORTIONS FIRMLY AND INTEGRALLY ATTACHED IN RIGID RELATION WITH AND LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID TIP PORTION AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA TO FORM FIRM SUPPORTS FOR FLEXIBLE BARBS, FLEXIBLE BARBS MOUNTED ON RESPECTIVE BASE PORTIONS AT THE SHAFT END THEREOF AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID SHAFT AND OUTWARDLY TO A DISTANCE FROM THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT GREATER THAN THE CORRESPONDING LATERAL DIMENSION OF SAID SHAFT TO FLEX INWARDLY ON PASSAGE OF A PINWHEEL OVER THE BARBS AND OUTWARDLY AFTER SAID PASSAGE AND HAVING REARWARDLY FACING ENDS FOR ENGAGEMENT BY THE PINWHEEL TO LOOSELY HOLD THE PINWHEEL IN ROTATABLE RELATION ON SAID SHAFT. 